Ahead of the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Monday announced the ‘Pujari, Granthi Samman Yojana’, under which he said that priests of temples and ‘granthis’ of gurudwaras will be honored. ‘ will receive an honorarium of approximately Rs 18,000 per month. He further said that this scheme will be implemented after the AAP forms the government in the upcoming elections in the national capital.
Kejriwal said, “Today I am making an important announcement regarding a scheme. The name of the scheme is Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana. Under this, there is a provision to give honorarium to the priests of temples and granthis of Gurudwara. They get about Rs 18,000 per month. Honorarium will be given. This is happening for the first time in the country. Priests are a class which has carried on the rituals from generation to generation. They have never paid attention to their families.”
He said, “We know how the priests serve us. Be it our child’s birthday or the death of a loved one, they have always connected us with cod. But they never paid attention to their families, nor did we pay attention to them.” This is happening for the first time in the country. We have improved schools and hospitals and provided bus travel facilities to women. BJP and Congress governments will learn from this and in the states run by them Will implement such schemes.”
Taking aim at the BJP, he said that they tried their best to stop Mahila Samman Yojana by filing false cases and sending police. Registration is still going on for this scheme. They tried to stop Sanjeevani Yojana, but they could not do so.
“I wish they would not do this with this scheme,” Kejriwal said.
Earlier on Monday, Imams of Delhi Waqf Board demonstrated outside the residence of Arvind Kejriwal over the delay in release of salaries. Speaking to ANI, All India Imam Association Chairman Sajid Rashidi expressed disappointment over the delay by the Delhi government in releasing salaries to the Imams of Delhi Waqf Board.
Rashidi said he has not received his salary for the last 17 months. He said that he is continuously meeting many officials and government leaders, but till now no action has been taken in this matter. Giving an ultimatum to the Delhi government, Rashidi said that if his salary is not approved, the Imam will sit on strike here and will not get up until he gets his salary.
